Bashir Trial Opens As Sudan Sovereign Council Delayed

Sudan's deposed military leader Omar al-Bashir, who ruled the country for 30 years, arrived in court Monday in Khartoum for the start of his trial on corruption charges

Khartoum, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Aug, 2019 ) :Sudan's deposed military leader Omar al-Bashir, who ruled the country for 30 years, arrived in court Monday in Khartoum for the start of his trial on corruption charges.

The trial comes as a sovereign council was being formed, following Saturday's signing of a transitional constitution by protest leaders and the generals who took over after Bashir's ouster was hailed at home and abroad as a major landmark.

The 75-year-old, whose Islamist military regime ruled Sudan for 30 years, was forced from power on April 11, after months of nationwide protests.

The jailed Bashir first appeared before a prosecutor on June 16 and was informed he faced charges of "possessing foreign Currency, corruption and receiving gifts illegally".

An AFP reporter outside the Judicial and Legal Science Institute where the trial is taking place Monday said Bashir arrived in a huge military convoy.

In April, Sudan's transitional army ruler General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said more than $113 million worth of cash in three currencies had been seized from Bashir's residence.

In May, the prosecutor general also said Bashir had been charged over killings during the anti-regime protests which eventually led to his ouster.

London-based rights watchdog has warned however that the corruption trial should not distract from the heavier indictments that have been filed against him by The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC).